Sharpener device for blades of slicing and cutting machines



Oct. 25, 1955 x. B. K. GREEN ET AL SHARPENER DEVICE FOR BLADES OFSLICING AND CUTTING MACHINES Filed June 18, 1953 ym/E United StatesPatent SHARPENER DEVICE FOR BLADES OF SLICING AND CUTTING MACHINES XanB. K. Green, New Paltz, and Harry Prehle, Jr., Cross River, N. Y.,assignors to General Slicing Machine Co., Inc., Walden, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application June 18, 1953, Serial No. 362,559

11 Claims. (Cl. 51248) The present invention relates to a sharpeningdevice for rotary disc blades and more particularly to the type which ispermanently mounted on the machines of which such blades are a part. Thesharpening device which is the subject of this invention, is especiallyadaptable for use in food slicing machines, and such embodiment isherein illustrated to show one application of this invention.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improvedmanually-operated sharpening device of the character mentioned, in whichthe pressure of the sharpener wheel against the blade is automaticallycontrolled and is independent of the force the operator applies to bringsuch wheel into sharpening position.

Another object hereof is to provide a sharpening device of the natureset forth, of novel and improved construction, in which the forceapplied by the operator to shift the sharpening wheel into sharpeningposition, is not imparted to such wheel to bear pressure against theblade, thus avoiding burning of the cutting edge.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel and improvedsharpening device of the class described, which not only sharpens theblade, but also removes any burr resulting on the cutting edge.

Another object hereof is to provide a novel and irnproved sharpeningdevice for disc blades, applicable for use in food slicing machines.

A further object is to provide a novel and improved disc bladesharpening device of novel and improved construction, which isreasonably cheap to manufacture, easy to use and efiicient in carryingout the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosureproceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

- Fig. l is a perspective view of a hand-operated slicing machine whichincludes a sharpening device embodying the teachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view showing .the disc blade and the parts of saidmachine associated therewith, together with the push-button used tooperate the included sharpening device, and also discernable is thatpart of such device which is used to remove the burrs from the cuttingedge after the blade is sharpened.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken at lines 3-3 in Fig. 1,showing the sharpening device in its normal rest inactive position.

Fig. 4 is like Fig. 3, but shows the sharpening wheel in operativeposition.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 4.

In the drawings, the numeral 15 indicates generally a well known foodslicing machine having a rotatably mounted disc blade 16 on the housing17. Said blade, in the embodiment illustrated, carries fixed thereon agear 18 for engagement with the gear 19 on the shaft 20 which is drivenby the crank handle 21. The numeral 22 denotes a plate member serving asa guard for the blade 16, and same is secured to the housing member 17by means of a screw 23. The assembly and operation of such machine iswell known in the machine art, and therefore needs no furtherexplanation.

At the top of the housing member 17, through its flange 24, is slidablymounted the shank 25, for longitudinal movement along a line parallel tothe face of the disc blade 16 and spaced therefrom. The upper end ofsaid shank, which is exterior the housing 17, carries a head to serve asa push-button. The lower end of said shank, which is interior saidhousing, is headed. The said push-button is denoted by the numeral 27,while the said lower head is indicated at 28. Said shank 25 carries afreely rotatable abrasive sharpening wheel 29, which is also free forsliding movement along said shank. Said sharpening wheel is offrusto-conical shape and is positioned inverted; its slope correspondingto the bevel 16 of the cutting edge of the blade 16. When the sharpeningwheel 29 is lowered, its conical surface contacts the bevel edge 16' ofthe blade. In normal rest position, the blade and said wheel are out ofcontact.

The extent of the possible movement of the shank 25, is greater than thedistance necessary for the sharpener wheel 29 to travel to contact theblade 16. Said shank carries the compression spring 30 between thebutton 27 and the flange 24, and also said shank carries anothercompression spring 31 between wheel 29 and said flange 24. The spring 31is always in stressed condition. The spring 36 is so much stronger thanthe spring 31, that when there is no pressure on the pressed-on button27, the shank 25 will rise to normal rest position, carrying thesharpener wheel 25? out of contact from the blade 16, and spring 31 willbecome further stressed. This spring 31 is so designed, that when thesharpener wheel 29 is in contact with the blade 16, the pressureimparted by said spring 31 shall be proper to efiect good sharpeningaction by the wheel 29, and such action shall not be in any excess tocause undue pressure against the blade. This avoids burning of thecutting edge.

It is to be specially noted that it is only the action of spring 31which determines the pressure between sharpener wheel and blade. This isbecause the sharpener wheel 29 is free for sliding movement along theshank. All pressure applied to the shank 25 by the operator pressing onthe button 27, and regardless as to its extent in force, is neverimparted to the sharpener wheel 29. The spring 30 only serves to restorethe components to their normal rest position as shown in Fig. 3.

The plate 22 is of sheet metal having resilient quality, and is formedwith an indentation 32 forming a protuberance 33 on. its outer surface.Within said indentation, said plate has secured thereon a piece ofsharpener stone 34. The blade 16 is between said stone and the sharpenerwheel 29. When the operator presses on the region 33 of the plate 22,said stone 34 is brought into contact with the back surface of the blade16, across the rim edge of said blade in the plane of the blade. Uponrelease of hold on the region 33, the plate 22 will spring back tonormal rest position where said stone piece 34 assumes its normal restposition, spaced from the blade. The action of this stone is to removeany burr on the blade edge which might be caused when the sharpenerwheel 29 acts on the blade.

To sharpen the blade, it is rotated and button 27 is pressed on to moveas far as it will go, thereby stressing the spring 30. The sharpenerwheel 29 will contact the rotating blade 16 and sharpen its edge 16'.The operator now releases hold on the button 27, whereupon spring 30will act and restore shank 25 to its outward normal rest position. Thehead 28 will carry the sharpener wheel 29 away from the blade and theparts will be in their v3 5;: normal rest position as in Fig. 1 again.Now, while the blade is rotated, the operator will press on region 33 ofplate 22, thereby bringing the stone piece 34 into contact with theblade 16 to remove any burr from the blade edge. Upon release ofpressure on the plate region 33, said plate will spring back effectingseparation of the stone piece 34 from the blade.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applicationswithout departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It istherefore intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein bedeemed illustrative and not restrictive, and that the patent shall coverall patcntable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to thefollowing claims rather than to the specific description herein toindicate the scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. In combination with a frame and a bevel-edged disc blade rotatablymounted thereon, of a blade sharpening means comprising a shanklongitudinally slidably mounted on a frame part which is spaced fromsaid blade; the ends of said shank extending into space, ablade-sharpening member slidably carried on one end of the shank; saidshank being positioned whereby on longitudinal movement thereof in onedirection, said sharpening member will contact the bevelled edge of theblade; said shank having a protuberance on said end to maintain saidsharpening member and shank in associated relation, a first spring meansacting on said sharpening member to urge same towards the bevelled edgeof said blade, a second spring means acting on the said shank to urgesame to move so that said protuberance shall carry said sharpeningmember away from said blade edge; said first spring means exertingsufficient force on the sharpening member when the latter and the bladeare in contact, to effect sharpening of said blade when said blade isrevolved; said shank being capable of movement in the mentioneddirection to such extent that said protuberance will not stop movementof the sharpening member along the shank when said member and the bladeare in contact; the first spring means being constantly in stressedcondition and the second spring means in normal rest condition, holdingthe shank in such position that the protuberance on said shank holds thesharpening member out of contact with the blade and stresses the firstspring.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the blade-sharpenermember is a wheel rotatably carried on the shank.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the blade-sharpenermember is a wheel rotatably mounted on the shank in co-axial relationtherewith.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein the I shank ispositioned angularly to the axis of the disc blade and wherein thesharpening member is a wheel of frustoconical shape, rotatably mountedon the shank in coaxial relation therewith; the curved surface of saidwheel being the one which contacts the beveled edge of the disc bladewhen said shank is moved towards the axis of the blade.

5. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each spring meansconsists of a coil spring positioned about the shank.

6. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein each spring meansconsists of a compression coil spring positioned about the shank.

7. The combination as defined in claim 1, including an element havingresilient quality mounted on the frame and positioned spaced from thedisc blade and substantially parallel thereto on the side of said bladeopposite that having the bevelled edge, and a second blade-sharpeningmember mounted on said resilient element spaced from the said blade whensaid element is in normal rest position; said resilient element beingadapted to be manually shifted whereby the second sharpening membercontacts the unbevelled edge of the blade to remove any burr on saidedge upon rotation of said blade.

8. The combination as defined in claim 7, wherein the firstblade-sharpener member is a wheel rotatably mounted on the shank and thesecond sharpening member for removing the burrs on the edge of the bladeis fixedly secured on the mentioned resilient element.

9. The combination as defined in claim 7, wherein the frame and discblade are of a food slicing machine, and wherein the element ofresilient quality is part of the frame shielding the blade.

10. In combination with a frame, a bevel-edged disc blade and asharpening means for the bevelled edge of said blade, both mounted onthe frame; a part of the frame being positioned spaced from said blade,substantially parallel thereto on the side of said blade opposite thathaving the bevelled edge and of an extent whereby it serves to shieldthe major portion of said side of the blade which is opposite thathaving the bevelled edge; a portion of said part of the frame havingresilient quality and a blade sharpening member mounted on saidresilient portion and spaced from said blade when said portion is innormal rest position; said resilient portion being adapted to bemanually shifted whereby said sharpening member contacts the edge of theblade surface adjacent said portion to remove any burr on said edge,upon rotation of said blade.

11. The combination as defined in claim 10, wherein the sharpeningmember for removing the burrs is a body fixedly secured on the mentionedresilient portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS738,192 Heine Sept. 8, 1903 744,649 Van Berkel Nov. 17, 1903 889,830 VanBerkel June 2, 1908 986,617 Wolff et al Mar. 14, 1911 1,050,891 Wildmanet al Jan. 21, 1913 1,176,136 Demuth Mar. 21, 1916 2,694,887 Green et alNov. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 130,532 Australia Dec. 7, 1948

